i am the oncoming storm

[autokinetic]

There are three Bells in Milliways.

They want a fourth. A fifth. A sixth. A seventh.

And then Downside is going down.

Comments

[cross_and_bow]

[Well, for instance, if you're in the middle of a contract, you can quit, that's not a thing anymore. One of our friends has automated all the judges out of a job. People who died only comparatively recently will get chances to go home. Nonconsensual violence is no longer a thing.]

[finaldiscussion]

[Are you sure?]

[cross_and_bow]

[Well, the admin could suddenly change her mind. Barring that, and I get the impression that she doesn't make any changes lightly, yes, the remodeling's already underway.]

[finaldiscussion]

[Then if it's all the same to you I will not abandon this particular responsibility just yet.]

[cross_and_bow]

[Understood. Do you want me to leave you be till then?]

[finaldiscussion]

[Yes, thank you. It should only be another half an hour.]

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet goes and accompanies Golden on her alt-sweep for the next half hour. Golden certainly knows a lot of dead people.

A half hour elapses. Golden sends someone called Sasha to wait in Milliways and then moves on, leaving Juliet in Sasha's emptied and very lovely apartment. [Hi?] Juliet tries.

[finaldiscussion]

[You again. Yes, hello, I'm just on my way home.]

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet's waiting for him when he gets there.

[finaldiscussion]

"Was there something in particular you wanted?" he inquires. "And is it compatible with a cup of tea?"

[cross_and_bow]

"We're just combing the afterlife for alts of people we know. And ourselves, we found one of those too in the catacombs. If you just want to stay here," Juliet shrugs, "then that's fine, we're not going to stop you. If you want to leave, that can also be arranged. You're a friend of the template. And all of this is eminently compatible with tea."

[finaldiscussion]

He makes tea.

"Leave and do what, exactly? Go where?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Depends on how long ago you died - in time as it's counted in your home world, not here, they differ sharply in some cases. If it's been a really long time it doesn't make sense to send you home per se. But there's a bunch of us who'd be happy to take you in just because you were kind to Shell Bell, and a bunch of other worlds beyond that; no real shortage of choices. If there's anybody you miss particularly we can jump them out of the queue, too."

[finaldiscussion]

"I would very much like to see Watson again."

[cross_and_bow]

"Lemme see what I can do."

(Where might this fellow be? Is he awake? If not awake: is he in the catacombs?)

[finaldiscussion]

He is in the catacombs.

[cross_and_bow]

And how long ago did he die, in his world?

[finaldiscussion]

About a hundred years.

[cross_and_bow]

Yeah, he's not going home, but he can go visit Strat. Wake up, Watson.

[finaldiscussion]

Watson wakes up.

"...Where the Hell...?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Not anymore," says Juliet enigmatically. "There's someone who'd like to see you."

[finaldiscussion]

He looks around himself.

Then he snorts.

"Oh, I'm sure," he mutters. "Fine. Where is he?"

[cross_and_bow]

Poof!

[finaldiscussion]

"About time," Strat says dryly.

Watson presses his hands to his face. "For God's sake, Holmes..."

They would probably rather not have the rest of this conversation in front of Juliet.

[cross_and_bow]

[You can brainphone Jane if you want anything else, she can get ahold of all of us wherever we are,] Juliet tells Strat, and she's off.

Anybody else? Nope, the place is cleared of everyone they were looking for. All right. Time to go home to her own Sherlock.